[Freegis-list] Re: [postgis-users] Mandrake Linux GIS project?

[Jean-Denis Giguere]

Sorry for cross-posting, but I want to answer to the original list, but 
I think this is more freegis related.

Wood Brent a écrit :
> Hello everyone.

Hi and sorry for late answer,
> 
> 
> The msg below is from a Mandrake Linux development list. The idea behind the
> chemistry site is interesting (to me anyway). The reason I'm bringing it up:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm using a variety of Open Source GIS/mapping packages/tools/libraries on
> Mandrake & the idea of setting up a comparable resource with the support of
> Mandrakesoft I believe is a good one.
> 
> I know there are things like licencing issues (eg: Postgres/PostGIS) but a
> repository or even extra CD with Open Source GIS resources seems feasible.
What is this PostGIS issue ? PostGIS is GPL and Postgre un BSD.
> 
> At a GIS related conference a couple of years ago I presented a 3D
> visualisation system for fisheries data, and the response from the group was
> impressive. Not because what I did was so great, but that it could be done with
> "free" software. There is a real growth in fisheries GIS worldwide, especially
> in the third world, supporting coastal fisheries managment and aquaculture, and
> budgets for Arc & Oracle spatial are limited.
> 
> The most impressive thing I have found with Open Source GIS in the last couple
> of years is the interoperability. I can download shapefiles, e00 data or many
> other formats. Use avcimport, ogr2ogr, shapelib, shp2pgsql to extract &
> reformat, or load into PostGIS. I can query/browse with psql, pgaccess or
> graphically with QGIS/JUMP, I can analyse with GRASS or R & prepare high
> quality publication maps with GMT. Then toss mapserver at it to web-enable the
> stuff. Add some GPS capture software.
> 
> The mix of software seems suitable for releasing as a GIS toolkit, complete
> with operating system, office suite, image editing software, etc.
> 
> While we have Geoware releasing GMT & supporting data & freegis.org with a CD
> compilation, I'm not aware of anyone offering everything in a nice, ready to
> install with a package manager approach. 
> 
> 
> So my questions: 
> 
> Do others believe that the concept of such a GIS toolkit is worth taking
> further?
For sure !!
> 
> Are the various people working with all these packages interested in working
> with Mandrake to develop such a system?
Mandrake could be interesting, but IMHO, it's not the most configurable 
distro. I believe that Debian should be consider as a better choice. I 
have few arguments, but I think
1. Many applications are already packaged. (It is also true for Mandrake)
2. There is a real support for customization called Custom Debian 
Distribution. This offer guideline and tools to produce a good custom 
distro. The support for this kind of development in debian community 
seems to be always greater.
3. Debian is a trustable distro. The community take care of the quality 
of their distro and I think the chance that your work disappear on the 
web because there is no maintener and nobody know that our project exist 
is less.

But, there is not only avantage on Debian side. By example onfiguration 
tools are not user-friendly as mandrake, it could be difficult to start 
a project on debian if nobody is already a Debian developper.
> 
> Is Mandrakesoft interested in adding such a software compilation to it's list
> of packages, perhaps even a Mandrakemove version of GIS Knoppix?
> 
> Am I way too far out in left field?
> 
This project is really a good idea and I'm really intersted to get 
involved. I have worked on a custom distro under Mandrake and I really 
think that we can be better serve by choosing Debian. But, free software 
is a world of possibility. There is room for more than one custom distro 
gis-oriented.

Regards,

Jean-Denis
Student in geomatic applied to environment
Sherbrooke University

> 
> 
>   Brent Wood
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>>Subject: Re: [Cooker] mandrake for scientists
>>Date: Tue, 08 Jun 2004 19:00:49 -0400
>>
>>On Tue, 2004-06-08 at 23:26 +0200, Guillaume Rousse wrote:
>>
>>>I'd like to communicate more on this topic, for two reasons:
>>>- first, most admins only knows about redhat, and tend to install it 
>>>everywhere
>>>- second, i'd like to lobby scientist themselves for choosing free 
>>>software licences instead of crappy "free for non commercial use" or 
>>>worst licensing agreement.
>>>
>>>Anyone interested ?
>>
>>http://groundstate.ca/mdk4chem
>>is almost 2 years old.
>>
>>Austin
> 
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